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Hillbilly Elegy By J.D. Vance-A Review
Back to books, after a hiatus! I think that Hillbilly Elegy has garnered the amount of attention it has by seeming to offer insight on the demographic that might elect (shudder) Trump as POTUS. I confess that I read the book with some anticipation of finding a fresh perspective on an Appalachian connection, seeing as how I’ve lived in this region for almost twenty odd (in all senses of the word) years now. I was disappointed. Vance serves up the the usual fare I’ve come to expect from Appallit-there’s drinking, drug addiction, and violence aplenty, down to the almost stereotypical gun-toting “Mamaw,” but in the end he offers no fresh perspective on the the people he writes almost cruelly about, unless it that’s there’s little hope to be found among them. I HAVE been reading Appalachian authors for awhile now, and they do tend to a grim, dark, and cheerless worldview. Hillbilly Elegy, though a memoir, certainly follows that same tradition. So, here’s my take: this is a matter of the fortuitous book: Vance published the right book at the right time. It’s not a BAD book, but it’s certainly not a GREAT one. You want to read really GREAT Appallit, try Ron Rash.
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Hillbilly Elegy By J.D. Vance-A Review
Back to books, after a hiatus! I think that Hillbilly Elegy has garnered the amount of attention it has by seeming to offer insight on the demographic that might elect (shudder) Trump as POTUS. I confess that I read the book with some anticipation of finding a fresh perspective on an Appalachian connection, seeing as how I’ve lived in this region for almost twenty odd (in all senses of the word) years now. I was disappointed. Vance serves up the the usual fare I’ve come to expect from Appallit-there’s drinking, drug addiction, and violence aplenty, down to the almost stereotypical gun-toting “Mamaw,” but in the end he offers no fresh perspective on the the people he writes almost cruelly about, unless it that’s there’s little hope to be found among them. I HAVE been reading Appalachian authors for awhile now, and they do tend to a grim, dark, and cheerless worldview. Hillbilly Elegy, though a memoir, certainly follows that same tradition. So, here’s my take: this is a matter of the fortuitous book: Vance published the right book at the right time. It’s not a BAD book, but it’s certainly not a GREAT one. You want to read really GREAT Appallit, try Ron Rash.
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Shame On KY Gov. Matt Bevin!
Last weekend at the Values Voters Summit, a meeting of far-right leaders, KY Governor Matt Bevin suggested that the election of Hillary Clinton would be the occasion for bloodshed. He specified that this would be blood of the tyrants and the patriots but worried that the ensuing conflict could even engulf his nine children, perhaps even his grandchildren. Now, this kind of alarmist rhetoric is nothing new from the alt-right. They preach Armageddon regularly, repetitively, and at tiresome length. But Gov. Bevin is an elected sitting official of the state of Kentucky, and as such, should not be blathering this tripe. Bad enough we get overblown nonsense from candidates running for the Presidency. On the campaign trail, especially THIS campaign trail, I’ve almost gotten used to a certain tabloid-like style, as candidates tweet their way across the landscape. But I still expect (unfairly? unlikely?) a modicum of common sense and judgement from those holding office. DON’T DO STUPID SILLY SHIT like calling for Hillary’s blood! It just makes you look crazy or deluded or LIKE YOU SHOULDN’T BE IN OFFICE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Sigh.
